Patients with systemic lupus erythematosis have accelerated atherosclerosis due to an unknown mechanism. This proposal hopes to further understand that mechanism by determining the range of sterol 27-hydroxylase mRNA levels in the peripheral blood monocytes of female subjects in three categories: SLE, non-SLE patients treated with high dose steroids, and normals. The lab was used for oligonucleotide synthsis, and BAL.